


The (Doppler) Duppy Effect

by Basmathgirl



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, M/M, Protective Siblings, Scheming, Sexuality Crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 09:46:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3204722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basmathgirl/pseuds/Basmathgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a complete re-working of the ending of Journey’s End, the Doctor comes up with a plan to save Donna from heartache. Or does he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** “The Doctor actually realizes he can't give the Duplicate to Rose because there's a bond between Handy and Donna.”  
>  **Disclaimer:** I might have nicked a few ideas but that’s far as any ownership goes.  
>  **A/N:** Written for [tkel_paris](tkel-paris.livejournal.com)’ Alternative Handy Fanfic Challenge, originally posted 1st February 2012, and I thought it was about time I posted it here.

Before Donna touched the jar that held the Doctor’s spare hand things weren’t looking too good for her. Rose had arrived to reclaim her place on the TARDIS, the most gorgeous bloke she’d ever seen appeared to destroy a Dalek but had eyes for everyone else but her, she was then locked in the TARDIS, and to top it all, they were both plunged to certain death in a fiery pit. Her day was going really badly at that point. 

And then she had touched that fated jar. 

What followed had been magical; like something out of a fairy story. Her very own version of the Doctor had grown before her very eyes; and she hadn’t had to kiss a single frog. Although she was a bit miffed she hadn’t got to kiss anyone, let alone hug them…

The very first thing the Duplicate Doctor did after springing into being was save the life of Donna and the TARDIS. Once he’d put some clothes on, obviously. That made him instantly a very special person in her eyes; and no, the nudity had no bearing on that fact. The second thing that he did to extol him in her eyes was the way he hugged her before they burst out of the TARDIS with the weapon he had fashioned. He couldn’t have been sweeter if he’d tried.

“Donna, before we go out there… I just wanted to say; it’s been brilliant knowing you,” he had stammered out. He added to the effect by opening his arms to her for a hug.

She had known he was saying goodbye; that the chances of them making it to the end of the day were slim, and she had accepted that without any qualms. She wanted to face death with dignity, so she had thrown her arms around his neck to allow them a moment of sentimentality. “Yeah, it’s been great,” she had whispered in reply.

And he had then kissed her. 

It had been a gentle kiss rather than a desperate one; but it had managed to convey so much emotion in that moment. Who could blame them for going out with a bang rather than a whimper?

# # # #

The general atmosphere on board the TARDIS was reasonably concentrated and jubilant, unsurprisingly, since they had defeated the Daleks, seen the return of twenty-six planets and were currently helping to tow the Earth back to its rightful place in the solar system. There would be a lot of celebrating around the console before the Children of Time could catch up with each other.

But something was bugging a particular person. “Doctor, I need to talk to you,” Jack opened his conversation, sidling up to speak in low, hushed, tones to him. “Have you noticed anything about Donna and your Duplicate?”

“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked, obviously wrestling with diverting his attention away from the console. He lifted his head to see Donna joining his Duplicate’s side yet again; laughing with him as they shared a joke. Yes, there was something there now that Jack had pointed it out.

“Is it legal what they are doing?” Jack anxiously asked, returning his concerned gaze to them.

“You mean talking together? Yes, that’s perfectly legal,” the Doctor replied; but his mind was working along totally different lines of thought as he kept his gaze upon them.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Jack tried to clarify as he held back his need to chastise the Doctor’s obtuseness. “They seem to be more than talking; more than just friends. They are acting as if they are secret lovers. And seeing as he is part Donna; is that even allowed?”

The Doctor smiled patronisingly at Jack. “Don’t worry; I’ll deal with it as soon as I can.”

After that the Doctor’s attention kept wandering back to Donna despite other people’s best efforts to focus his thoughts onto them. Donna had made a grab for Jack at some point, teasing him mercilessly by pretending to make a play for him, and shocking Sarah Jane in the process. But her true target had appeared to have been the Duplicate Doctor; who had teased her back by making a beeline for Rose and coaxed her into laughing at his lame jokes.

The Doctor’s first responding thought had been to rectify the burgeoning situation by dropping off the Duplicate with Rose and Jackie in Pete’s World; that would teach the pair of them! But the leading factor that stopped the Doctor from doing so had been Donna. Or rather the mental state of Donna. It was far too fragile as she currently existed. If he were to exile the Duplicate Doctor, Donna’s mind would immediately deteriorate. There was a strong link between the two of them that could prove to be detrimental if it were severed; and he couldn’t let that happen, no matter how ‘wrong’ their relationship was.

With that in mind, the Doctor pulled Jack to one side to ask, “If you were ever shorthanded at Torchwood, would you appreciate the expertise of a semi-Time Lord?”

“Of course!” Jack brightly answered. Heck, who wouldn’t want such a person around? “Who were you thinking of sending my way? Donna or Dougie?”

“Dougie? Who the hell is Dougie?!” the Doctor spluttered in surprise.

“Okay; call him Donnie or David instead. Whatever you all decide. If he is sticking around, your brother can’t carry on calling himself the Duplicate forever,” Jack reasoned. 

“Yes, he needs a name,” the Doctor agreed, his thoughts whirring away in the background. “But he isn’t my brother.”

“So you want him to be your son…? Yeah, that makes sense.” Jack rubbed a hand over his chin as he considered this.

The Doctor blushed; a deep crimson. “No, not my son! He’s clearly my brother; a half-brother, shared between me and Donna,” he insisted.

“Which leads me nicely back to my earlier question,” Jack said pointedly. “What are you going to do with them?” He indicated to where Donna and the Duplicate had squirreled themselves away in a corner of the console room, deep in conversation together as they stood side by side, ignoring the interested glances in their direction. Rose in particular seemed to find them fascinating as she chatted with Sarah Jane.

“I’m not sure yet. But I’ll probably be in touch within a couple of days,” the Doctor replied, deep in thought.

# # # #

Every time the Doctor looked up from concentrating on some detail held on the monitor, Rose was there, practically in his face. It had seemed really sweet to start with, became too intimate, and finally grew to be annoying when he found she wasn’t allowing him to look anywhere else. Then to add to it he noticed that Donna and the Duplicate had snuck off somewhere while he was distracted. “Where are they? Where have they gone?” the Doctor demanded angrily.

“They went that way,” Jackie pointed down the TARDIS corridor. “He said something about needing to show Donna something.” She eyed him in confusion, wondering what the problem was, and then returned to her conversation with Martha, Mickey and that nice Jack.

“Did he? I bet he did…,” the Doctor muttered; and strode off in the same direction down the corridor. That wasn’t all he muttered to himself as he sought them out.

He eventually found them in the TARDIS garden. With deliberate care, the Doctor shut the door to the garden room, asking the TARDIS not to let any of their houseguests in with them. Strolling purposefully through the long grass he followed their obvious pathway through it, then along a line of trees by a stream until he found them beneath the shade of a large overhanging tree. 

The sight that greeted him deeply concerned him. Donna was leaning back against the trunk of the tree, and the Duplicate was almost straddling her. He had her trapped within his hands placed on the bark either side of her head.

“I don’t think you realise, Donna, how unique you are,” the Duplicate was telling her; and then, to add to the watching Doctor’s growing horror, he took hold of a lock of Donna’s hair and began to twirl it between his fingertips.

Donna snorted in scorn. “I don’t think I am,” she insisted. “If it wasn’t for you and the Doctor I’d be dead right now. I’m just nothing.”

The Duplicate leant in closer to her, closing the gap between their lips considerably. “I’m sure you’ve never been anywhere near to being nothing,” he assured her.

There was a sound behind them. “None of my companions are nothing!” declared the Doctor; and the pair of them jumped guiltily apart.

Donna greeted him with a sunny smile, but the Duplicate looked decidedly miffed as he gazed upon the Doctor standing observing them nearby. “Did you need us?” he asked.

The answer was a vague gesture towards the door. “You need to go and say your last goodbyes,” the Doctor told him, with the air of a dismissal.

The Duplicate went to argue the toss, but chose instead to obey for the time being, so his mouth moved wordlessly for some seconds. He certainly didn’t want to be chucked out in the alternative universe; especially when things were beginning to look interesting on the TARDIS. He sighed heavily and waved at Donna as though he was a naughty schoolboy before heading off.

They both stood and silently watched him go until he disappeared beyond the trees. “Are you okay?” the Doctor asked Donna as soon as they were alone. “How’s the head?”

She touched her forehead as she contemplated the question. “It seems fine for the time being, thanks. What about you? How are you? It can’t be easy to lose her again.”

“What? You mean Rose? No, I’m alright,” he said with a sniff. “She’s moved on; apparently got someone, and just needed some closure. So that’s fine.”

“You’re really taking her back to the alternative universe?! I never thought you would have.” She shook her head in disbelief, and then gave a wry laugh. “I thought you were going to dump Duppy with her as a consolation prize! How daft is that?!” 

“Duppy? Where did you get that from?” the Doctor asked with a laugh.

Donna laughed with him. “Well, I’ve got to call him something until he chooses a name, haven’t I? I can’t call him Cousin It, and Duplicate Doctor is too much of a mouthful.” Her expression then grew more sombre. “I’m really glad you’re not going to dump him, because I’d miss him desperately. I’d miss him like mad.”

“So you like him?” the Doctor asked cautiously.

“Oh yes!” she agreed. “How could I not? He saved my life; he saved all our lives.”

“And does that liking stretch to love?” he mused, gauging her physical response to his words.

“Well…” She blushed and fidgeted a bit. “He is everything I ever wanted; you must admit that. He understands me like no-one else does, not even you. He’s good looking in a different way to you somehow, and he’s human so…”

“So… what? What does that exactly mean?” the Doctor asked in confusion. 

“This is awkward,” Donna mumbled. “You are my friend, but you can never be more than that for me. And I’m fine with that, I really am. But he… he’s reachable. And he likes me too.”

“Donna, he’s part you,” the Doctor pointed out.

“Yes, I know that bit! I was there!” she huffed in exasperation. “He got my humanity. That’s all he got.”

“Are you sure? I think we might need to try out some tests on him to clarify that.” The Doctor looked at her expectantly.

“But… Are you saying he might be actually related to me, Doctor?” She scrunched her face up in disgust. “But that would be wrong! So wrong!”

“Then we need to find out as soon as possible,” he said, trying to console her with a gentle touch on her arm. Suddenly she looked so vulnerable, and he wanted to ease that away.

Tears appeared in her eyes as the implications of any actions they had performed hit her, and she gasped. “I might be in love with my own brother,” she said in a small voice. “How do I stop that?”

The Doctor felt a part of him die in anguish at her words. “I’m not sure; but I’ll help you in any way I can,” he promised. 

“Thank you,” she gratefully mumbled, lowering her head.

It was in that moment that the Doctor started to devise his plan. The idea was to distract her away from his brother, and divert her feelings onto him instead. He could pretend for a while; that would be no problem for him. After all, they had lived as brother and sister or as a sort of husband and wife combination for many months, so it would be no hardship to spend extra time with her. All he had to do was start to pay her slightly more consideration than he had, show a bit more affection and let her know she wasn’t alone in this. That way she should get over her crush on Duppy in no time.

He reached out and took her hand, pulling her attention back onto him, and outlined his agenda. “How about we finish dropping off our houseguests, do a few DNA tests, and then I’ll find us somewhere nice to visit. Have ourselves a bit of a holiday. How does that sound?”

“I think that sounds brilliant, Spaceman,” she answered enthusiastically, and gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. “Can it be after I’ve checked in on Mum and Gramps? I need to know they are alright first,” she asked with concern, obviously aware that he might not approve.

He sighed in resignation. “Okay… Just don’t go around saying I never do anything for you!”

It was totally worth the hug of joy she gave him.

# # # #


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I chose this name for Duppy because I thought it was funny and apt for when Donna was born.

There was a frantic discussion between the Doctor, the Duplicate and Donna. The final decision about the Children of Time was to drop Rose and Jackie off first, and then drop the other four in London, giving them all a chance to see and reassure family as soon as possible. 

Anticipating a petulant protest about returning to the alternative universe, the Doctor had argued that an unimpressed audience was the best plan of action, to cause maximum embarrassment should Rose plan on playing any tricks on him. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the girl anymore, but that everything has its time and its place. Rose’s time with him had lasted for almost two years and he had lived without her for three years… well, two years if you didn’t count “the year that never was”.

There had been no contradictory argument from Donna or the Duplicate; in fact they had been extremely supportive, saying something about ‘meaningful behaviour’. The Doctor had resisted the retort that it was a wonder they had managed to notice anything beyond each other. Didn’t mean he hadn’t thought it though.

The Duplicate hadn’t risked stepping out of the TARDIS at all onto the sands of Bad Wolf Bay. There was no way he wanted to be left behind in that desolate place if he could help it! Not that Rose hadn’t tried to entice him out with her; but he was wise to such tricks thanks to some of Donna’s memories. Instead he had stayed within the TARDIS when everybody else had accompanied Rose and Jackie out; and he had sounded a convincing alarm when it looked like Rose was trying out some delaying tactics, allowing the Doctor to make some excuse and head back inside. 

The expressions on the faces of Martha and Jack had said it all when they had dutifully followed him back in; but it was Mickey who voiced their outraged confusion as they returned to the console. “I can’t believe she tried to con the Doctor into saying he loved her,” he had readily told the Duplicate. “Typical her.”

None of them could see that desired response happening; not in a month of Sundays!

“So how did the Doctor wheedle his way out of that one?” the Duplicate had asked.

“Easy! He reminded her that she had made a point of telling him she had found someone else,” Martha eagerly supplied. “She had no answer to that.”

The Duplicate had smiled smugly in his knowledge that Rose had been barking up the wrong tree long before she’d even started her alternate dimensions hunt. “Martha, you really ought to compare notes with Mickey here. You’ve got a lot in common,” Duppy said, trying to coax the pair of them together. You never knew; they’d make a good team, he told himself.

# # # #

As Donna stood saying her final farewells to Martha, the Doctor took the chance to say in a low voice to the Duplicate, “Now that we are going back to being the three of us, we need to get those tests done, name you, and have a decent cup of tea.”

The Duplicate smiled at that as they stood waving goodbye. The standard of tea making had dipped considerably in the last few hours. The pair of them then stepped back into the TARDIS so that they could speak more privately. “I desperately need a proper name. I don’t want to be called Duppy for the rest of my life. Do you… do you really think Donna is my sister in a real sense?” he asked.

The Doctor gave him a faint nod. “I wouldn’t bother doing these tests if I didn’t think so.”

“Then what I feel probably isn’t allowed,” the Duplicate stated. “It’s a good job these emotions are all brand new, otherwise I’d be worried I was suicidal. She is so special; you know? All that she has achieved, and she still doesn’t realise or consider how brilliant she is.”

“So what exactly have you felt that is so different?” the Doctor queried, silently urging the Duplicate to join him at the console. “Tell me.”

“It’s really hard to describe, because it is beyond what you normally allow yourself to consider… but I want her in ways that you wouldn’t contemplate. I want to feel her body flush with mine.” The Duplicate halted for a few seconds as some particular thought raced around his mind that caused a faint blush to appear on his pale cheeks. “I have these mad urges to mate, and she seems absolutely ideal for that purpose. I’ve really noticed her curvaceous figure and the way her clothing sort of clings to... I have a proper human libido that cries out for her,” he explained as the Doctor listened patiently.

“You humans and your mating urges,” the Doctor scoffed, teasing him.

Mischief sparkled in the Duplicate’s eyes. “Except she isn’t human anymore; don’t forget that! She is part Time Lord. That puts her in a unique position. Puts me in a unique position… Are you absolutely sure she’s totally off limits? Because I bloody love her!”

There was a muffled choking sound in answer. “Then you’d better avoid her until the test results come through,” the Doctor advised. “Do you fancy doing a spot of ground work with Torchwood in the meantime?”

The Duplicate sighed heavily. “Yeah, alright then. Anything that will make the waiting less of an ordeal.” He lifted a finger in warning at the Doctor. “But I’m telling you now, if the tests show things are okay, start planning a wedding.”

The Doctor fought to hold in a groan of anguish. He had two weeks to come up with an effective plan…

# # # # 

The other thing the Doctor had to do was make that promised visit home with Donna. Ah; Sylvia and Wilf? How to get over that hurdle? In particular, how did they introduce the Duplicate to them?

Donna sat down at the table, placing her breakfast cereal and three mugs of tea down carefully. “Are you ready for your big entrance today, Duppy? Mum and Gramps will be shocked to see you turn up,” she remarked, grinning at him as he anxiously toyed with the sugar spoon.

“For goodness sake! Can you stop calling me Duppy?!” the Duplicate protested loudly. “I have a name, you know!”

“That’s a big part of the problem. We don’t know. What did you decide in the end?” the Doctor asked, trying to hold in his exasperation.

The expression on the Duplicate’s face turned completely mischievous. “Oh how I wish I had a golden envelope to reveal the results. Well, lady and gentleman, I give you…” And at this point he spread his arms wide to demonstrate the magnitude of his announcement. “…the new, the improved…”

“Get on with it!” grumbled Donna. “You sound just like a washing powder.”

He briefly scowled at her before ignoring her interruption. “…The one and only Donovan G. Noble!” He then manically grinned at them both as he watched his revelation run through their minds.

Donna made a show of calmly sipping her breakfast cup of tea as if unimpressed.

“Aren’t you going to ask me anything?” he demanded, switching his gaze between the table companions.

Donna and the Doctor shared a conspiratorial smile. “Go on then, I’ll ask. What does the ‘G’ stand for?” Donna appeased him.

“Geoffrey, of course!” he declared.

“So you’ve named yourself after my dad and his favourite singer,” Donna remarked. “Thank goodness he didn’t have a thing for Shirley Bassey.”

Donovan pouted haughtily. “Don’t you like it? I thought it sounded rather classy.”

“Yeah, it sounds memorable,” the Doctor agreed with a smirk. “But you do realise what it’ll be shortened to.”

“What?” Donovan immediately asked.

“Donnie, you dumbo,” Donna laughed. “Seriously?! We’ll be Donna and Donnie! How twee!” she scoffed.

“Oh yes!” Donovan agreed. “Although if I make it Van instead, we’d be Donna and Van; so that makes us one and the same.”

“So it does,” Donna happily confirmed. The pair of them soppily gazed like lovesick cows at each other.

“Good grief!” moaned the Doctor under his breath. “Somebody pass me a sick bag.” He then changed tack with Donovan. “If you are going to call yourself Van, why not go the whole hog? Call yourself Car, Bus, or… I don’t know… Tardis Bike!” He was quite pleased with the scowls that got; so he clapped his hands to change the subject. “Now we have a name to work with, perhaps we can get on with the DNA test?”

“It’s just a swab, right?” Donna tried to clarify.

“That’s right. Our main problem is that it could take two weeks to get the result,” he cautioned them. “So no hanky panky or kissy-wissy stuff until we know for certain.”

Donovan and Donna threw each other a longing look. So near, and yet so far. 

Donovan let out a long sigh. “Okay. Until we know otherwise, Donna and I are brother and sister. I’ll play nicely.”

“And so will I,” Donna added. “Our next trick is to charm Mum with the new addition to our family.”

Both men groaned at the thought.

The Doctor wondered what had suddenly happened to his life. Here he was playing chaperone, agony uncle, brother, (that one had was surprisingly easy) and to put the cherry on the proverbial cake, he was now distantly related to Sylvia Noble! Could the universe get any weirder? On the plus side, that did mean he gained Wilf, so every cloud had a silver lining. Perhaps Wilf would give him a few pointers on how to woo Donna away from her current crush? He added that to his mental list of things to do.

He also considered how ironic it was that he would normally at this point be appealing to Donna herself to help him in such a matter. Donna was always full of good ideas, and even better organisational skills to help him sift through the chaos that stormed in his head.

# # # #

“Donna!” Wilf exclaimed happily when he opened the front door to them. “And where’s his lordship?” Oh, there he is… Oh! Who’s this then?” Wilf looked totally stunned as he took in the trio standing on his doorstep in the pouring rain.

Donna stepped forward and hugged him. “Can we explain once we sat down in the warm and dry?” she asked.

“Of course!” Wilf replied. He moved aside to let her in and hesitated between the Doctor and Donovan, not knowing which one to hug; so he shook the hand of both of them as they stepped into the warmth of the hallway.

“Is that Donna at the door?” called out Sylvia, and she raced to greet them as they entered the kitchen. “You’ve got two of them,” she remarked as she spotted Donna drag in one version of the Doctor and the other followed in behind. “You never said he had a twin.” It was strange how much of an accusation she managed to make that sound. “Don’t stand on ceremony; sit yourselves down,” she added with a hint of embarrassment as she beckoned them to sit at the kitchen table.

Both men expressed their polite thanks. It was the Doctor who started the explanation. “The strange thing is, Sylvia, that I didn’t know I had a twin until recently. He sort of found me.”

Sylvia was bustling about at this point, extracting mugs from the cupboard and placing them on the worktop as Wilf dealt with the kettle; for that all important welcoming cup of tea.

“Found you? How did he do that, and where has he been?” she asked, although her gaze was on Donovan. 

Realising it was his chance to talk, Donovan spoke up. “I started off being local before I was moved to be with people in Cardiff for quite a while, and then Donna sort of led me to the Doctor.”

“Did she?” Sylvia wondered, glancing briefly at Donna. “You don’t sound very Welsh.”

“It all depends when you are exposed to an accent… Anyway, I was born with a London accent and I’m keeping it,” Donovan told her firmly.

“So how did you get split up?” Wilf asked as he stirred the pot of tea he had made.

“There was a conflict, a fight and… and we got separated immediately,” Donovan said meekly.

“Blimming Social Services!” Sylvia exclaimed venomously. “So they eventually stuffed you with foster parents in Cardiff, did they?” 

Donovan merely nodded in reply.

“Anyway, he’s back now,” Donna announced, trying to lighten the atmosphere of doom in the kitchen. She reached out and placed a hand on Donovan’s arm. “He’s back where he belongs; with us.”

“He’s staying permanently with you two?” Wilf pondered as he considered the situation. “I can see that causing problems.”

“He won’t be with us all the time. He has his consultancy job in Cardiff to consider,” the Doctor replied.

“Do I?” Donovan challenged him.

“Yes! Jack will be expecting you for two weeks at least,” the Doctor said pointedly.

“Two weeks? Oh yes… two weeks of adjusting, and stuff,” Donovan bumbled.

Donna took a deep breath. “The thing is, Mum, Gramps; I’ve told Donovan and the Doctor to consider you as family now, since they have no one else.”

“What, no one?!” Wilf exclaimed in surprise.

The Doctor sadly told him, “All our family died long ago, and we’re all we have left.”

“Blimey! That is rum!” Wilf sympathised. “In that case…” He ambled round to stand behind the Doctor, and then surprised him by giving him a huge hug. “…Welcome to the family, Doctor and…” He released the Doctor and did exactly the same to Donovan. “…welcome, Donovan, wasn’t it?”

Donovan happily squeaked and returned the hug as best he could. “Yes, I’m Donovan,” he confirmed.

“Did you hear that, Sylvia?” Wilf beamed at his daughter in delight, over Donovan’s head. “That was the name of that singer your Geoff was mad on.”

“Yes, I know,” Sylvia answered tritely; but she looked pleased nevertheless, and there was a hint of a tear in her eye.

At that moment Donovan felt he had chosen well. In fact he almost glowed with the knowledge as Sylvia looked kindly upon him.

# # # #


	3. Chapter 3

Donovan had been asking Sylvia about various members her family, so she had taken him and Donna off to look for photographs to illustrate her stories; that left the Doctor conveniently alone with Wilf. 

“Wilf, can I ask your advice?” the Doctor hesitantly asked him.

“What did you want to know, lad?” Wilf asked in return as he settled back to listen carefully.

“This is a bit awkward to ask, but I don’t know who else could help me,” the Doctor blustered, and blushed. “It’s about Donna. Your Donna. She erm… I was wondering… I want to ask her to erm… I was thinking… How… What can I do to woo her?”

Wilf could not help the chuckle that escaped from his lips. He had never thought he would see the Doctor act so flustered; for a split second there he thought the Doctor was asking for Donna’s hand in marriage! “Got a little bit of competition, have you? Yeah, I can see what your problem might be. Donna seems rather taken with your brother. She always did like a sob story and an orphan of the storm to sympathise with.”

The Doctor just about managed to hold in an undignified squawk of protest. Did that mean that she saw him as a sob story?! Is that why she had sought him out, dedicating a whole year of her life with the effort? He’d thought… okay, he had hoped… it was for entirely different reasons. Duppy was a sob story, but he was a Time Lord! He was above such things. 

With that thought in mind, the Doctor gave a defiant little sniff. “So, what would you recommend? She seems to think I don’t care.”

“Ah, I don’t think it’s a matter of that,” Wilf began to explain. “I think she has been a bit side tracked by everything lately. What with them Daleks and everything that happened. Just do what you’d do for any woman, Doctor; make her feel special and treat her like a queen. Don’t forget that you already make her feel special.”

“Not as much as some people,” the Doctor muttered to himself. That was beginning to get to be a really bad habit. “Thanks, Wilf! I’ll do that,” he said more loudly.

Wilf gave him a sympathetic pat on the leg. “It’s strange for her too, getting used to your brother living with you both. She’s just being kind to help him settle in. Try not to take it too much to heart. Just make sure that what you say to her is the truth, because she always did have this knack of knowing if you tell her porky pies.”

“Yes, of course,” the Doctor replied eagerly. His accompanying cheek touching action was purely coincidental. “I never tell Donna lies.”

“Mind that you never do,” Wilf warned, knowingly.

# # # # 

Treat her like a queen, eh? He could do that easily. It wasn’t as though he didn’t have a gentlemanly bone in his body after all. The Doctor made a point of accompanying Donna to her bedroom door when she yawned heavily, and then returned to talk to Donovan in the library. He found him lightly dozing in a chair, so he strode over to shake him awake and shoo him off to bed. As he touched Donovan’s shoulder his fingertips happened to glance over Donovan’s throat and the Doctor gasped with the shock of what he felt emanating from him.

Donovan was dreaming of Donna; or rather that should be worded as dreaming of what he’d like to do with Donna. The Doctor felt himself blush with embarrassment at the response his body made due to the private images.

“What?!” Donovan snuffled awake. “Did you want me?”

“You’d better get to bed properly, Duppy. You’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow,” the Doctor replied softly.

Donovan sat wide eyed in confusion staring back at him. “I do? Why? What’s happening tomorrow?”

“Jack called. You’re expected at Torchwood bright and early,” the Doctor told him. 

Still slightly bleary from his nap, Donovan staggered to his feet. “Oh! In that case I’ll go and get some proper sleep. I hadn’t meant to doze off in here. Sorry,” he apologised.

The Doctor gave him a steadying hand on his arm as he stood. “That’s okay. Goodnight, Duppy!”

He couldn’t help the smirk as Donovan called back his own goodnight. As soon as Donovan was out of sight, he headed towards the console room and grabbed up the phone to call Jack.

# # # #

“He’s gone where?” Donna demanded to know when the Doctor took her breakfast in bed much later. “But he didn’t even say goodbye!” she griped.

“I know! How forgetful of him,” the Doctor pointed out. “I would have knocked to let you know, but you were still fast asleep, and I know how much you hate to be woken too early.”

“That’s true,” she agreed. “So what have you got planned for us today?” She eyed him eagerly.

“Well… I was thinking that we could go somewhere nice for a spot of lunch,” he offered, whilst nervously rubbing the back of his neck.”

She patted the bed next to her in invitation. “Why don’t you tell me all about it?”

He didn’t need a second offer and he plonked himself down next to her like an enthusiastic puppy. She half expected him to drool all over her arm as she nibbled on her toast. “How about a walk along the Seine before ending up in a real Parisian café?” he tried to entice her, pushing his tongue up behind his front teeth as he did so.

Donna had to wait a few moments before she could speak; after having swallowed down her mouthful of toast. “You’re taking me to Paris? Seriously?! What did I do to deserve that?!” she wondered.

“I erm… I thought you’d like it after all the rushing about we’ve been doing,” he mumbled shyly.

“And you were right,” she readily confirmed. “Thank you, Doctor, for thinking of me.” And with that thought, she leant towards him and kissed his cheek in gratitude. She giggled when he blushed. “I didn’t know you could react like that!” she exclaimed with glee. “I’ll have to do it more often.”

He bashfully smiled back. “Help yourself; I could get to like it.”

# # # #

They stepped out of the TARDIS to find themselves within a crowd of people. The Doctor instantly pulled Donna nearer to him protectively. “What’s going on?” she anxiously asked.

“It seems to be a demonstration of some sort. Probably those French students again,” he answered. “You’d best stay close to me.”

“Don’t worry; I’m going to,” she replied, gripping his arm firmly.

The Doctor adjusted her hold on him so that they were holding hands instead. “It’s best this way; I’m less likely to lose you,” he excused himself, leaning in to whisper into her ear. He noted that she smelt pretty good today, and the feel of her hand in his was amazing! Not that it hadn’t felt good before, but he realised that this was the first time he’d held her hand since the metacrisis, and it made an unbelievable difference, sending a thrill through his body. It was as he was musing on this that he noticed Donna was looking at him expectantly. “Ah! The walk I promised. Would you care to escort me along the River Seine, Miss Noble?” he asked playfully, and began to lead her away from the crowd.

“Why yes, I would, Doctor… Noble,” she added mischievously as they walked. “Since Van and I are now Nobles it seems only fair that you get the chance to be one.”

“What’s good enough for Van is good enough for me,” the Doctor told her sincerely. “I like being part of your family.”

“Why’s that?” she couldn’t help asking conversationally.

“Why?” He pondered on this for a few moments, and then turned a megawatt smile onto her. “I get to learn more about you and be with you more.”

“I thought you knew all there is to know by now,” she said, enjoying the glow of his undivided attention. “We’ve been together quite a long time.”

“Not that long in the grand scheme of things; but yes, we do know a lot about each other.” He suddenly stopped and drew her closer. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, Donna Noble.”

“You make it sound like we’re about to separated,” she mocked him. His intensity was worrying and exciting her in equal measures and the only way she knew how to deal with that was through humour. 

“I have no intention of letting you go,” he near whispered. 

Was this it? Was this the moment he should try kissing her? He held his breath as he ran the options through his mind. Yes, this was worth a try, he decided, so he moved forward; and damn! At the last moment she moved her head abruptly and he got her cheek instead.

“So we’re allowed to do that now?” she asked him, with a teasing gleam in her eye.

“I’d say it was a definite,” he replied as nonchalantly as he could. “After all, you started it.”

“I did not!” she protested. “I was doing that to save your life.”

“Thanking me is saving my life?” he scoffed. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“So you’re holding that against me? The fact I gave you a ‘thank you’ kiss?!” She looked momentarily scandalised. 

“Only if you hold this ‘thank you’ kiss against me,” he countered.

“As if I would,” she said with a huff. She flicked back a lock of hair and immediately winced.

“Here, let me,” he offered, reaching out to release her hair from where it had been caught up in her earring, and taking the opportunity to get up as close as possible.

“Does that qualify for a ‘thank you’ kiss?” she asked whilst he was still only mere centimetres away.

He grinned back. “I think it might do. Shall I let you do the honours?” Mentally he dared her to kiss him somewhere other than his cheek, and kept his hand hovering near her neck in case he had to hold her in place.

She flashed him a cheeky grin, as though she knew what his game was, and went straight for his cheek, but he used his hand to guide her, and she ended up planting a chaste kiss on his lips.

It was such a soft kiss, that she couldn’t avoid fluttering her eyes shut for it. A soft, tender kiss that was different to other kisses she had had. She should have been able to completely write it off as another friendly kiss; but she immediately knew it wasn’t. Not for her at least. Everything else that had happened recently went completely out the window, and all that she knew was that she wanted that kiss again. She wanted to test out the way he tasted one more time to see if the comparison with Van was justified, even though that memory was ebbing away now that they had actively avoided such intimacy with each other. She missed that press of lips, so desperately.

“Doctor,” she murmured; although she wasn’t sure what else she was going to say.

He didn’t seem to mind, because he immediately spoke in the same tone, “Donna.”

And then they were drifting slowly closer together again, until their lips met, pressing tenderly and then firmly moving over each other. Something sparked between them; something obviously connected to being Time Lords, but with an added twist that acted like a magnet, keeping their interest in the act going.

They broke apart quite a few seconds later. “That’s some ‘thank you’,” Donna remarked.

“I’ve got a lot to thank you for,” the Doctor replied. “I suppose the rest of it can be said over lunch.”

“Lunch? Oh yes, lunch!” Donna reminded herself. “I assume you’re starving.”

“You know me too well,” he said with a chuckle.

She smoothed a hand down his arm, and then took hold of his hand again. “Then let’s go eat. I can’t have you wasting away on me, can I? I have other people to answer to these days.”

He happily let her lead them away. His plan was working, slowly but surely; all he had to remember was to not rush things and let her come to him.

# # # #


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor had ushered Donovan out of the TARDIS, warning him not to disturb Donna while she slept! They both remembered the dangers of carrying out such a stupid act. “Don’t worry; I’ll be here to collect you later,” the Doctor promised as he shooed him away. “They’re all expecting you.”

Donovan anxiously made his way to where he knew the entrance to Torchwood to be. It wasn’t as if he had actually travelled anywhere on his own in his short life, and this was pretty daunting. He almost jumped out of his skin when Jack suddenly appeared in front of him. “Jack! You bloody idiot! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”

“Only so that I can give you the kiss of life,” Jack readily answered. “Are you ready for your first day… erm… what do I call you exactly?”

Donovan offered his hand to shake. “I’m Donovan G. Noble. Nice to meet you properly. You can call me Van if you want,” he offered.

“Donovan?” Jack echoed. “I wasn’t expecting that. The Noble bit I was. Come! Come and meet the rest of my Torchwood team.”

Donovan was pleased to note that Jack had at least released his hand before leading him down into the Hub; he had expected Jack to be a bit more hands on. Perhaps Jack didn’t find him as attractive as the Doctor? That was a potential blow to the ego. Once in the Hub he was greeted with enthusiastic interest by Jack’s friends Gwen and Ianto. Donovan felt himself perk up as he shook Gwen’s hand. “She’s taken,” Jack whispered so that only he could hear.

That was a strange sensation for Donovan! Did that mean he was interested in _any_ woman he met? And what consequences could result from this? It also begged the question why he hadn’t reacted to Martha when they were together. Had Donna been the effective factor…? The thought of Donna immediately made him feel immensely guilty and disappointed in himself. Here he was reacting to another woman and it wasn’t even certain yet that he should be like this. He hated himself and this human body at times.

Jack saw his glum mood settle over him, and immediately offered him a comforting cup of tea or coffee. Donovan glanced about the space he stood in. “I suppose I’ll have to get used to coffee now I’m here,” he said with a resigned sigh.

“You’ll get used to it in next to no time,” Jack replied, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder.

At that moment Donovan was grateful for the memories he had inherited from Donna, because he truly felt that he could. “So what do you want me to do while I’m here? I know about aliens and I can type,” he said as brightly as he could.

“Now there’s a leading question,” Jack retorted cheekily.

# # # #

Donovan picked up an item that was covered in some slimy ooze, wondering why someone had let it get so far past its use by date, and noticed that Ianto was eyeing him with open curiosity. “Can I help you?” he offered in as friendly a tone as he could muster.

“Is it true you aren’t _the_ Doctor?” Ianto asked, inching closer cautiously before placing a hot cup of coffee on the desk in front of him.

“I erm… I’m _the_ Doctor and a Doctor at the same time,” Donovan supplied. “But you can call me Van if you like! It beats being called the Duplicate.”

“I suppose it would,” Ianto answered sympathetically.

“What else did you want to ask me? I promise not to bite,” Donovan offered cheekily.

Ianto smirked despite himself. His thoughts were in turmoil, but he desperately needed to know. “It’s about Jack, actually. Have you come here because he requested it?”

Donovan shook his head. “No. I’m here while the Doctor sorts out a problem in the TARDIS; one that could affect my future. So I’m here to keep myself occupied for a couple of weeks, and Jack was kind enough to let me.” He really hoped that he had allayed some of Ianto’s fears regarding any possible interest in Jack.

“What sort of problem?” Ianto blurted out.

“It’s…,” Donovan began to explain, and immediately blushed. “It’s to do with a woman. You know the sort of thing.”

“Ah!” Ianto exclaimed knowingly. “Is it that blonde that appeared on the subwave network with the Doctor? I’ve heard about her.”

Donovan’s blush deepened, ducking his head away. How did you explain about someone who might be your sister, and who might not? It had all the makings of a Jeremy Kyle programme. “That was Rose you saw,” he supplied in answer instead; and then felt it was best that he shut up.

Gwen was worse when she quizzed him on exactly the same topic. “But didn’t Jack say there was something fishy going on?” she pressed him further. “Something that involved that other woman… what was her name?”

“Donna,” he quietly answered, hoping she wouldn’t ask for more details.

“That’s it!” Gwen enthused, getting into her stride now. “She kept cropping up in various records we found regarding the Doctor. We had quite a good laugh about it at the time, as she kept being referred to as his wife, and Jack said…”

“That’s enough, Gwen!” Jack interrupted her trip down memory lane. “Van doesn’t want to hear all about that.”

Van threw him a grateful look. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss Donna, not when he was actively trying not to think about her. “Sorry. I’ll get back to cataloguing those artefacts, Jack,” he hurriedly excused himself; and made for the archives at a fast rate.

Gwen watched him go with open curiosity. “What’s got into him, Jack?” she asked as soon as Van was out of sight. “Why’s he so touchy? I thought he’d find all that funny, about the records. Shouldn’t I have brought up Rose?” 

Jack felt it best to keep his own counsel for a little while longer. “I just think he’s finding it hard to be away from the TARDIS for a while. It gets into your blood, all that travelling. Now about those weevil sightings you were going to tell me about…”

# # # #

Jack sauntered across the empty Hub, and was surprised to see Van still rapidly writing down information in the data bank. “Donovan?! Much as I love seeing your dedication, shouldn’t you be somewhere else right now?” he asked with concern.

Donovan stopped what he was doing and guiltily looked up. “Sorry, Jack. I erm… I just wanted to…”

“Keep working?” Jack prompted him to continue.

“Something like that,” he admitted.

Jack decided to take pity on him. “Look, why don’t we go out for a drink… No, not like that! I was thinking a bar, some women, lots of alcohol; you know the sort of thing.”

“Followed by joining the French Foreign Legion, no doubt!” Donovan sighed in resignation. “Okay, Jack; but nothing that would upset Ianto. I mean it!”

“Fine! Not that I was going to… Yeah, you got me. I _was_ going to test something out,” Jack replied, holding up his hands in surrender. “Can you blame me for trying?”

There was a definite tug of amusement around Donovan’s lips. “Probably not; as long as you don’t blame me for not taking you up on your offer.”

“Are you saying ‘no’ to the drink or me?” Jack queried.

“I think a close encounter with some of Scotland’s finest whiskeys wouldn’t go amiss,” Donovan teased. “Lead on, Macduff.”

# # # #

Donna was getting worried. She had expected Donovan to avoid being with her during the time leading up to them receiving the test results, but she hadn’t expected him to totally disappear.

The Doctor had taken one look at her and instantly offered a comforting hug. He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead as he told her, “Don’t take it personally, Donna. He’s just trying to work through his emotions.”

“I know, Spaceman,” she had answered with a sniff, burying her face into his surprisingly comfortable shoulder. The touch of his hand as it smoothed down her hair was very relaxing, and she felt herself melt into his embrace even more.

“How about we have a little trip somewhere? How about Felspoon, since you mentioned wanting to see it that time?” he risked asking. That time period was still a bit touchy with all three of them, since there had been many behind the scenes arguments about who should go where. 

Donna nodded against him, accidentally rubbing her nose on his neck and sending a shiver of pleasure through him. “That would be nice,” she replied.

He kissed her forehead again. Donna noted that he had been doing that a lot lately. It was nice; it made her feel more comfortable in his presence, like he really wanted her there. Being with him felt like ‘home’… yes, that was the word for it. He was her home, so she snuggled further into his willing arms.

# # # #

Donovan blearily shook his head to get rid of the constant ringing. It took a few seconds to realise that the ringing wasn’t in his head, which tried to replace the ringing with lots of pounding, but was located somewhere else to the side of his jaw. 

Grimacing with the effort, he threw out a hand hoping it would land conveniently on the phone that had woken him. With slightly more dexterity he managed to press a button to actually answer it. “Hello?” he cautiously queried.

“Where the bloody hell are you?! I’ve been worried sick waiting here for you turn up at home! Have you been drinking? I can feel wooziness coming from you. Why didn’t you call and let us know what you were doing? I’ve had the Doctor pacing up and down like a… a… Okay, I don’t know like what; but I do know it’s bloody annoying!” spat out the voice of Donna down the phone line.

“I’m sorry, love, but Jack took me out for a drink…,” he began to explain, without raising his voice above anything louder than a whisper. As it was he’d had to hold the phone well away from his sensitive ear.

“He did what?! You let him take you out and get you drunk. What were you thinking? Are you in his bed right now? Did he seduce you? Because if he has I shall come down on him like a ton of bricks! How dare he treat you like a piece of meat!” she protested, starting to get into her ranting stride now.

“Donna! I don’t think he did any of that; in fact I’m pretty sure,” he defended Jack.

“How sure is ‘pretty sure’ as a percentage?” she demanded.

He rubbed a hand over his face as he thought about the statistic. “Maybe sixty six, sixty seven per cent,” he finally admitted. “Okay, that isn’t as good as it could be; but I’ve got some holes in my memory. And before you ask, yes, I was blind drunk! Thanks to a bottle of Glenmorangie.” 

There was a gasp on the other end of the line. “Why did you do that?”

“Why do you think?!” he replied petulantly. “I’ve been shoved here out of the way and… I miss you,” he finished saying in a small voice. “I’m not used to facing the world on my own.”

“You’ve got Jack,” Donna answered; and he could feel her jealousy through their connection.

“Yes, I have, haven’t I?” he teased her. “He has been very accommodating; supplying me with _lots_ of attention.” 

“So where are you? You still haven’t said,” she wondered out loud.

Van cast a glance around the room again where he lay in an unfamiliar bed. “To be honest with you I have no idea! It looks a bit like Nerys’s cousin Eifion’s place. Do you remember him?”

Donna laughed. “Yeah I do! He was as bent as a nine bob note. Does that you mean you think you are in Jack’s place? In his bed?”

“It could be…” he cautiously answered. “But something doesn’t feel quite right about it.” He paused for three seconds. “Hang on, I think someone is moving about. I’ll let you know…”

The next sound Donna heard over the line was a sharp intake of breath. What she didn’t know was that a curvaceous woman with long flowing chestnut brown hair had appeared in the doorway. The sharp intake of breath was due to the fact she was totally naked!

“Hello, handsome! Are you finally awake?” she greeted Donovan seductively.

“Oh shit!” he responded venomously. “Now I’ve gone and done it!”

# # # #


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning:** contains a scene with a definite Jack-type outcome.  
>  **A/N:** Here’s a bit more muddying! Especially the bit added in for [nosmokingpistol](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nosmokingpistol/pseuds/nosmokingpistol).

The Doctor rushed to Donna’s side as she slowly dropped her phone away from her ear; her face a picture of stunned horror. “What’s the matter? Has something happened to him?” he asked desperately.

She gazed back at him in indignant shock. “I’ll say it has! He’s gone out and got himself a woman. The cheating, lying scumbag!” she exploded at him. “I’ll kill him! I’ll… I’ll…”

He crushed her to him, making sympathising sounds all the time. “What makes you so sure he’s gone and done that? I can’t imagine it.”

She pushed herself away and whirled angrily on him. “Are you calling me a liar? Because I heard her! I quite distinctly heard a woman say ‘Hello, handsome! Are you finally awake?’ in the background; and he then said ‘Oh shit! Now I’ve gone and done it’,” she told him tearfully. “Five seconds out of my sight and he’s gone and replaced me!”

“Oh Donna! Sweetheart!” he crooned, wrapping her tenderly back within his arms. “Whatever was he thinking doing that to you both?”

“That’s the trouble; he wasn’t thinking properly. It was thanks to the amount he drank last night with Jack,” she sobbed.

“Jack?! Say no more! At least he woke up with a woman, I suppose… No, don’t cry. Leave it with me; I’ll sort it all out,” he promised her. He tenderly stroked her hair, knowing that it soothed her agitation. “Promise.”

“You will? Thank you,” she murmured, and reaching up, she gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek.

He was in two minds to kiss her back properly, but that would have been taking advantage and he didn’t want to achieve anything by treating her like that. She deserved more than that from him. So instead he caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, and whispered lovingly, “Whatever it takes, I want you to be happy.” That gained him a beautiful smile.

# # # #

Donovan peered at the woman curiously. “Do I know you?” he asked her. “I don’t think we’ve met.” He thought he would have remembered a curvaceous naked woman who had been trying to seduce him; but you never know how strong alcohol can affect you until you try it. The view was pretty good as he waited for an answer, and he felt his body respond appropriately. Or should that be inappropriately in the circumstances? All he knew was that she had started it, and it was her fault!

The woman merely arched an eyebrow at him before slowly replying, “I assure you we have. I came back with you and your boyfriend last night.”

Boyfriend?! Bloody cheek! Although that could be working in his favour... And did that mean he was safe from the clutches of this tart? Van forced himself to ask as nonchalantly as possible, “Do you know where he is?”

As she pointed out towards the door Jack bowled in through it and accidentally knocked into the woman. Instantly he reached out to stop her toppling onto Donovan. “Whoa, Kara! You’ll do yourself an injury if you’re not careful. Go get some clothes on, like a good girl, and Uncle Jack will give you a lift home,” Jack told her, in the suave way Jack did most things.

Kara giggled. “Okay,” she said with a seductive smile and a coquettish manoeuvre with her fingertip in her mouth. “Bye!” she called back to Van as she sashayed out the room. She knew what she was doing alright!

They both watched her go in amazement. “Care to explain?” Van asked, feeling more than a bit peeved. “Or am I supposed to think it was a mere coincidence that a naked woman tries to accost me when I’m on the phone to Donna? And don’t insult my intelligence!”

Jack sat down next to him on the bed. “Donovan! She is just some woman we met in a bar; nothing more than that, apart from her taking a shine to you. Surely you don’t think I would deliberately make things awkward with the volatile Donna? I’d hate to be attacked by her for enticing you away… although you were a bit more willing last night,” he defended himself.

“What do you mean by ‘more willing’?” Van demanded; drawing up the bed covers to hide his bare chest.

Jack leaned closer. “I mean when you kissed me.”

“I did what?!” Van squeaked loudly. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“Once you go Jack you never go back,” Jack told him with a smirk, in explanation.

“No, you keep on running! I smell a rat, Jack Harkness,” Van said grimly. “This whole thing has ‘set up’ written all over it.”

“If you can’t acknowledge that you find me irresistible, then…” Jack threw up his hands in exasperation. The man was gorgeous but Jack wasn’t desperate for his attention.

Van threw himself back down onto his pillow in an indignant huff. “I want to go home,” he mumbled despondently into the mattress.

Jack smoothed a consoling hand over Van’s shoulder. “Don’t be like that! You can’t help being bi-curious,” he tried to soothe him. If last night was anything to go by, Donovan was curious about a lot of things!

Donovan turned large soulful eyes onto Jack. “Is that what I am?” he asked in a small, soft voice. Something was creeping back into his memory, and not all of it had been unpleasant.

Jack placed a hand on Van’s chin and moved closer. “Why don’t we find out?” he suggested, and tipped forward to test out a theory.

# # # #

The Doctor shook his head to clear it. What the hell was that he was getting from somewhere? He anxiously pressed two fingers onto the bridge of his nose. Unable to bear it any longer, he wrenched up the phone from the console and dialled Donovan’s number.

A rather breathless Donovan answered. “Yes? Can I help you?”

“Duppy? Are you okay?” the Doctor hurriedly asked him. “I’m getting something rather strange from you, so I thought I’d better check.”

“I’m er… I’m fine,” Van answered.

The Doctor listened carefully. “No you’re not!” he insisted. “You sound in pain. What is going on?! Tell me!”

There was a slight whimper. “I can’t… I can’t talk to you right now. I’m sorry, I don’t…”

“Stay right there, Duppy. I’m coming to get you,” the Doctor ordered him.

“No, please, no, it’s alright. I’ll explain later. Just give me another day,” Van replied with some effort.

“You sure?” the Doctor asked reluctantly.

“Sure!” Van said firmly. “And I think you understand now.”

There were some very clear images that had entered the Doctor’s head, making any misunderstanding hard to achieve. “Yes,” he replied, drawing out the syllable. “Just be careful.”

He shut the phone off and replaced it in its holdall in the console. Now that was a turn up for the books! They were going to have to have words about this when Van got home. He could imagine the tears over this one already…

# # # #

Donna was sitting listlessly on one of the library sofas when the Doctor found her. He immediately sat down beside her and placed an arm around her shoulder. “What’s the matter? Still missing him?”

“No!” she said forcefully; although its intensity was rather spoilt by her sniffling.

The Doctor cleared his throat before posing his next question. “Would it make any difference if I told you that I know Van didn’t spend the night with another woman? I’ve just spoken with him, and I’ve arranged to go and collect him.”

“You have?” Donna wondered as she lifted up her face to gaze directly at him.

He couldn’t help reaching out to toy with a lock of her hair. “Yes, I have,” he answered softly. “We’ll pick him up tomorrow. He needed to finish what he was doing with Jack.”

She frowned at him. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to tell me something more?”

He just carried on gently stroking her shoulder with his other hand. “Everything will be discussed when he gets home; I promise. For now, I want to take you somewhere special. Somewhere that not many people have seen, let alone heard about.”

She gasped with delight. “Are you really taking me to Felspoon?”

“I said I would,” he confirmed; and placed his cheek conveniently close to her mouth so that she planted a ‘thank you’ kiss there.

It seemed like less than no time that the TARDIS landed evenly as Donna helped the Doctor pilot her, and they were stepping out onto another new world. The Doctor threw open his arms in demonstration. “What do you think?”

“It’s exactly as I saw it in your memories! Oh it’s gorgeous!” Donna enthused as she glanced about at the landscape they had landed in. Everything swayed in the breeze; even the distant mountains, and it was hypnotising.

Waves of anxiety from the Doctor hit her, and she turned to see him fretting about something or other. “About that, Donna… do you want me to take away some of those memories?” he offered.

She shook her head in answer. “They’re your memories, Doctor. I think you ought to decide how much I keep; that’s only fair,”

He cradled her face before placing his fingers on her contact points; wanting to make the most of this moment. “You are truly amazing,” he said breathily. “I can’t help worrying about you while Van is away. Can I check?”

“Yes,” she agreed, giving the permission he so obviously craved. Within seconds she felt the soft whisper of his mind nudging hers, and then he was there with her, dazzled by all that he saw.

“You’ve adapted!” he noted with delight as he broke contact. “Duppy… I mean Van, really did save your life. I’m so sorry I ever doubt he would for a second!!”

“Don’t worry, Spaceman. I’ve never held it against you,” she sought to sooth him as guilty tears sprung to his eyes.

“To think that you might never have got to see all this. It just doesn’t bear thinking about,” he fretted. 

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “But I did, so you don’t have to go down that path of recriminations. I promised you forever,” she whispered to him.

He squeezed her tightly in return. “Yes, you did,” he whispered back. “Thank you!” To add emphasis to his words, he slightly turned his head and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Donna Noble,” he murmured, moving his mouth across her skin. “Thank you so much…” 

By this point he had reached her mouth, so he placed his next ‘thank you’ kiss firmly on her lips. He let out a suppressed groan as their lips slightly parted, allowing them to deepen the kiss as they moved over each other’s mouth, hungrily tasting without devouring.

His kiss was setting her nerves on fire! Without meaning to, she clung onto him for dear life; not wanting to ever let go. Her hands made their way up into his hair, smoothing over his scalp, demanding he hold his head in place as they continued their embrace. His hands had travelled all over her back, moulding her body onto his, crushing them closer together, as he smoothed his tongue over hers.

When his hands moved down to cup her bottom it didn’t feel wrong at all, nor did the way he pulled her lower body onto him, letting her feel how aroused he was and how much he wanted her. The next step of sinking down into the grass seemed perfectly logical as they traded more kisses.

No more words were spoken as they undulated amid the swaying grasses, learning the taste of other parts of their bodies as they joyously pressed together. Clothing was frantically pushed out of the way as they sought to pleasure one another, until finally they lay peacefully together, watching a beautiful sunset as the mountains put on a magnificent display.

The Doctor tenderly kissed Donna. “It doesn’t get much better than this,” he uttered in low tones. “Welcome to Felspoon, Donna Noble.”

# # # #


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** and now the truth!

The Doctor woke with happy thoughts of Donna. He couldn’t help himself; he just had to lie there smiling as he thought about their hours together on Felspoon. With almost a skip and a hop, he got out of bed and went into his bathroom. If things went well he would have Donna permanently away from Van… _and in his bed._

He smacked the side of his head. Where had that thought come from? The plan had been to wrestle her away from Van so that she didn’t make a fool of herself once it would be revealed that Van was genuinely her brother and not her lover. _No, she was his lover._ He smacked the side of his head again! What was he playing at, thinking such thoughts? She wasn’t his; she was his best friend. The woman that held his hand through thick and thin, the woman that hugged him readily when he needed it, the woman who stood by his side as he faced the greatest tragedies possible, the woman that placed such loving ‘thank you’ kisses that made his insides melt; she was the woman who had returned his eager kisses as they lay in the long swaying grasses of Felspoon, making his body sing with pleasure so much that he had wanted to drag her into his bed. She was the woman that he suddenly realised he wanted to be his wife; and not in the way that they had jokingly beaten off all these months. He wanted children with her; he actually wanted to go domestic, he thought as the normal bitterness that invoked didn’t arise.

The cooler water of his showerhead beat down on him as he placed his forehead on the cold tiles of the shower cubicle. He was in so much trouble! What should he do? He loved her; there was no other way to describe it. He had stupidly allowed himself to feel an emotion, to admit to an emotion, and he had instantly been speared by Cupid’s arrow.

It wasn’t his place to fall in love with a human woman; it was impossible. But as Van had pointed out days ago, Donna was no longer just human. She was part Time Lord now; and that made her unique, in a totally different way.

It wasn’t fair! He shouldn’t have to deal with this agony; he was supposed to be above such things. Look at how he had dismissed Rose off his back; that should never have been possible if he loved her as much as she had expected him to. _Because you loved someone else._ “I didn’t!” he cried out as he battled with his thoughts. _Yes you did._ “I can’t have done… could I?” he argued with himself. “I don’t love like that… I never have done.” _Then what about Donna?_ “She… I love… I couldn’t have… But I must have done!” 

He drew in a sob. What was he doing? This had to stop because Donna would go to Van when he came back. She’d forgive his experimentation with Jack, the Doctor knew she would. It was Van’s human side peeping out, being all curious about sex and… and…. They were going to have sex in his TARDIS, weren’t they? Right where he would be able to sense every motion, every thought… everything! Could he even bear that?

It was time to go and get Van, and get this all sorted out! The Doctor was determined to take this last step, come what may. Once he had dried himself and got dressed, obviously.

# # # #

Donovan was sitting waiting for the TARDIS apprehensively when it appeared. He had arranged with the Doctor to creep surruptiously out of Torchwood after recent events. He was sure Donna would know something had gone on, and he was about to suddenly greet next Tuesday with a battered cheek.

The Doctor peeped out cautiously around the open door and beckoned Van over. “Quick before I’m seen! Donna is still in the shower so we won’t have a scene right here.”

Donovan couldn’t help grinning like a loon and raced inside, hugging the Doctor once he was inside. “Thanks for this… brother. You feel different!” He immediately reached up and touched the Doctor’s contact points. They both reeled with the invasion. “You… No! You didn’t! You hypocrite! You took her to Felspoon as well, of all places,” he stormed as he pulled away. “You… and Donna! Oh no! Oh no!” he chimed out as he spun around in anguish.

To stop him getting motion sickness, the Doctor put out a hand to halt the incessant spinning. “That isn’t the real problem, is it?” he asked softly.

Donovan went to protest loudly, and then changed his mind. “No, you’re right; it isn’t.”

“And you’ve gone and given Jack exactly what he has always wanted. You do realise that I might never be able to look him in the eye again?” The Doctor smirked to soften his words.

“Yeah, about that…” Van began to nervously rub the back of his head. “I think the whole incident rather proved our theory.”

They both patted each other sympathetically. “Let’s go put the kettle on. We’ve another scene coming up when Donna appears; but don’t worry, she’ll be fine about it, you know she will,” the Doctor consoled him. They shared conspiratorial smiles and headed for the kitchen.

# # # #

“The wanderer has finally returned, I see,” Donna remarked sarcastically as she entered the kitchen.

Donovan smelt her scent as she wafted in and found himself interested anew in her. He couldn’t help closing his eyes momentarily before he suggested to the Doctor, “Don’t you think you ought to put your mental shields up a bit higher? I’m getting an overload here.”

Donna whirled round in confusion as she stood at the sink refilling the kettle, and saw the Doctor’s guilty expression. “Mental shields?” she echoed. “Why would you be so concerned about his thoughts, Van? Are they disrupting you from thinking about the tart you spent the night with? Or did it extend to all of yesterday as well?!” She stood blazing at him, wielding about a full kettle in her right hand as she did so.

Van eyed the metal object with understandable fear. There was the audible sound of a gulp before he answered, “About that woman, Donna. It was a complete misunderstanding! You’ll laugh…” He actually risked a nervous smile at that point. What was the matter with him? “She was just some woman we met in a bar who followed Jack home and….”

“Happened to waltz into your bedroom stark bollock naked!” Donna finished for him. “Yeah, I can see that as being a funny coincidence. About as funny as the fact you will never lay a single finger on me again.”

Van glanced at the Doctor briefly. “I can see that one happening,” he mumbled. “The thing is, Donna, I do have a confession and it has nothing to do with Kara directly.”

“Kara, is it?!” she practically spat at him. “Let me guess; she was young, curvy, with massive…” She held out her hands in front of her chest at this point to emphasise her argument.

Van leapt up and grasped her forearm. “Don’t do this to yourself, Donna! Please don’t! I was trying desperately not to think about you, about us, and Jack took pity on me. He was lovely. You can appreciate that thought, I know you can. In fact that’s why I can too.”

She was stunned by the information she was getting from him. “What do you mean you can too?” Her attention moved onto the Doctor. “Well?”

“We got back the test results about an hour ago and there’s a strong genetic link between the two of you, too much of one for comfort if you had continued. I’m sorry,” he stated.

“But… but it felt right,” she flailed.

“That’s my fault,” Van told her gently. “I’m an empasexual.”

“A what?! What the bloody hell is an ‘empasexual’?” she demanded.

Both men guided her to sit down on one of the kitchen chairs and gripped a hand each. Van took a deep, steadying breath. “It’s something that I had suspected might have happened, and now I have my proof. Donna, I know you’re going to get angry about this but you need to know. I let Jack kiss me, without me being drunk, and I liked it a great deal. Now don’t start… hear me out, please!” He gave her hand a squeeze before forging on. “As soon as I came back on board the TARDIS all that went, all of that longing for him. Jack has some powerful pheromones, as you know; but it wasn’t just that. Oh heck, you’re not going to like this…” He slumped despondently back in his seat and gave her the full kicked puppy look.

“What’s he on about?” Donna asked the Doctor.

“He knows,” he replied.

Donna couldn’t get her head around this for a second. Van knew about her kissing the Doctor and he wasn’t spitting blood at her? Why? Shouldn’t he be throttling someone right that second? “Van? I don’t understand,” she admitted.

“I take on the sexual desires of the person I’m with. I don’t just feel their desire, I echo it back; and Jack has always fancied the Doctor, so I was an ideal choice for him,” Van explained.

“Do you actually ever want someone because _you_ do? And what does that mean about _us_?” she queried.

Van chuckled with relief; because she partly understood his plight, and because she hadn’t walloped him one. “Donna, don’t you see? You fancied the Doctor, and he fancied you! I was merely the happy medium inbetween. Well, when I say ‘fancied’ it turns out that it’s a bit stronger than that, since you are in love with each other.” 

“In love?!” Donna spluttered in disbelief and Van burst out laughing.

“You two are the absolute limit! I wish you could see it from where I’m sitting, or anyone else who sees you together. You’re just so right as a couple, and you’ve been falling over yourselves to deny it.” Van released her hand and rose from his seat. “Now excuse me while I make the most of not being pummelled into the ground and go have a shower. I’ve had an emotional few days so you’ll find me having some quiet time in the library.” When he got to the doorway he threw back at them, “Talk, the pair of you! This needs to be resolved.” And then he disappeared, shouting, “And put your bloody mental shields up!” 

The Doctor and Donna eyed one another cautiously, having both blushed profusely. It was Donna who found her voice first. “That was unexpected,” she commented.

“Which bit?” he asked before he could help himself.

“The erm… the empasexual bit,” she clarified. “About this tea…” And she went to stand up.

In a split second, the Doctor grabbed her wrist, holding her in place. “For what it’s worth, I loved our time on Felspoon. But if this is all too weird for you, I’ll understand and take you both back home to your mum’s.”

She smiled shyly at him. “Doctor, I am home. I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

“What else do you want?” he risked asking.

“Surely you don’t expect me to go into my full beauty queen pageant speech, and declare I want world peace, doughnuts for all, and first dibs on the chocolate Hob Nobs,” she retorted.

“Now that you mention it, no, I don’t think so. Really? First dibs?! But there are three of us now, so you can dream on about that one,” he replied, giving her a cheeky wink.

She wouldn’t have normally let him get away with that one, but his free hand was currently caressing her bottom, having travelled up there from the back of her thigh. Placing both hands on his shoulders, she tried to push herself away from him, but instead she toppled forward and suddenly found herself practically sitting in his lap. “Oh! Sorry!” she exclaimed in embarrassment. 

“You have got to stop throwing yourself at me!” he answered with obvious glee. “You’ve just never been able to help yourself. Right from the very start.”

“I was jumping for my life, Sunshine!” she huffed indignantly. “And you told me to.”

“So I did,” he agreed, grinning broadly. “And right after that I biodamped you. I know a good thing when I see it.” 

“If you are expecting some big declaration of undying love, you ain’t going to get it, mister!” she told him sternly.

“Good! I wouldn’t have it any other way. You weren’t expecting…?” he vaguely asked.

“Oh no!” she confirmed. “We don’t do that sort of thing. I mean, me doing this…” She swirled her finger through the hair at the back of his neck. “…doesn’t have to be anything.”

“True, it doesn’t have to at all,” he answered, bringing up his released hand to gently hold her jaw, guiding her head nearer to his lips. “But there is something I was expecting.”

“Oh yeah?” she softly wondered, and allowed him to bring their mouths closer still. “What?”

He whispered, “This…” 

Yes, she had expected it to be a kiss; and no, she didn’t mind in the slightest. The touch of his lips freed her somehow, allowed her emotions to run riot through her body as every nerve ending tingled. How did he do that to her? Blimey, being part Time Lord was flipping wonderful! “Will it always feel this great to kiss you?” she asked him.

“Only if you stay with me forever,” he said.

She briefly kissed him. “Is that an offer?”

“No, it’s a demand,” he insisted as he returned her kiss. “Let’s find somewhere a bit more comfortable.”

# # # #

Van found them later loosely wrapped around each other in bed, sound asleep. He placed a tray filled with tea things, fruit juice and cake on the side and smiled at them fondly, sighing wistfully. It was no use crying over spilt milk; and he consoled himself that if things carried on like this he’d soon be an uncle.

**The End... almost...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please** now go and read [nosmokingpistol](http://archiveofourown.org/users/nosmokingpistol/pseuds/nosmokingpistol)'s utterly superb sequel: [Through The Glass Brightly](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13496280).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Through the Glass Brightly](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13496280) by [nosmokingpistol](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosmokingpistol/pseuds/nosmokingpistol)




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